Eclectic collections: Libraries lending more than books
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Photos: Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Christine McIntosh, executive director of the Bethel Park Public Library, shows off a Google Daydream View virtual reality headset. It’s just one of the many items that can be checked out of the library.
Christine McIntosh, executive director of the Bethel Park Public Library, shows off the metal detector that can be borrowed. (Photo by Paul Paterra)
Paul Paterra/Observer-REporter
Paul Paterra/Observer-REporter
Among the musical instruments available for borrowing from the Bethel Park Public Library is this autoharp. Christine McIntosh, the library’s executive director, admits trying out the instruments on occasion.
Many libraries have board games available. (Photos by Paul Paterra)
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Interested in trying out a musical instrument?
Maybe you’d like to try your hand at fishing but need a pole and tackle.
Or perhaps you’ve been hearing things go bump in the night and are in need of a ghost-hunting device.
Look no further than your local library, where patrons can borrow more than just books.
The Bethel Park Public Library has an array of items available, such as musical instruments, board games, puppets, projectors, GoPro camera systems, blood pressure cuffs, volleyball/badminton set, treasure hunting kit, and yes, even a ghost hunting kit.
“You check it out just like a book,” said Christine McIntosh, library executive director. “People are very surprised when they hear (we have these items).”
The ghost-hunting kit proved to be useful recently for John Lepri and his daughter, Julia, 17, of Bethel Park, when they took it with them on an overnight stay at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, W.Va., which is said to be haunted. John’s wife and Julia’s mother, Sandy, works at the Bethel Park Library.
“We were curious,” John Lepri said. “We wanted to see what was going on with it. It was interesting.”
Did they find any ghosts with the device?
“We got to speak to some of them,” Julia Lepri said, adding that they listened through a “spirit box” that is part of the device. “It sounds like static. Every once in a while, a solid word will come through. It’s never sentences, just single-word answers. We thought it was going to be a scary experience. They were very friendly. I didn’t feel scared or threatened.”
The Brownsville Free Public Library takes advantage of its proximity to the Monongahela River and Dunlap Creek by making fishing poles and tackle boxes available.
Lori Barron, library director, said a board member saw a report from the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission about such a program.
“So I called the boat commission and they sent us the kit,” Barron said. “You can actually fish at the wharf and the docks if you want. It’s not too far from the library.”
Puppets and launch pad tablets for kids are available at the Eva K. Bowlby Public Library in Waynesburg.
Kathy McClure, director, said the library also is working on getting a board game collection together.
“Gaming is becoming pretty big again,” she said. “We have a board member who’s been helping us out with that and he’s purchasing games that people would not normally buy for themselves.”
Nicole Mitchell, director of Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels, said the library is working on adding puzzles and Escape Rooms.
“We do have the Leaf Pads, which are like learning tablets, that people can check out,” she said. “I have five or six different Escape Rooms in a box ready to go.”
David Zylka, director of the Monessen Public Library, said his library offers backpack kits, such as one for bird watching, that families can check out.
Sewing machines are available at a number of libraries, including Bethel Park, Peters Township and Eva K. Bowlby.
Peters Township also has Ozobots and Finch Robots on hand.
Citizens Library in Washington has a number of concept kits available for borrowing. They include books and activities that explore topics such as dinosaurs, friends, seasons and transportation.
The library also is the place to donate instruments for the Washington Jazz Society’s After-School Music Program. Participating students are provided a free instrument, music and 36 free lessons by a qualified teacher on an instrument of the student’s choosing.
Mt. Lebanon Public Library offers albums and record players, toys, board games as part of its weekly board game group as well as 10 ukuleles.
“We are not heavy in the unusual things,” said Sharon Bruni, the library’s associate director for public services. “But when we do do that, it usually promotes an initiative that we have here.”
Mt. Lebanon library director Robyn Vittek said patrons can also check out passes to area attractions, including the Carnegie Museum, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village and the Pittsburgh Zoo.
“Rather than pay for the passes you can just check them out of the library and go to the museum,” Vittek said.
McIntosh said the availability of offbeat objects began with a request from a Bethel Park School District music teacher for acoustic guitars, so the library picked up three of the instruments.
“Then we had a couple donations from people, including an electric guitar with an amp,” McIntosh recalled. “People want to try stuff out before they buy it.”
The instrument collection now includes an electronic keyboard, a Hawaiian ukulele and an autoharp.
The libraries want to serve the community in many ways.
“A lot of libraries have things that support people in their day-to-day life or for people who may want to try things,” said Christy Fusco, director of the Uniontown Public Library. “Libraries want people to explore a whole range of their personal interests.”